A double-DNF in Canada was central to Ferrari’s failure to win the 2024 constructors’ championship, however workforce principal Fred Vasseur says the response to such difficulties bodes properly for the long run.
Ferrari misplaced out to McLaren by 14 factors within the constructors’ struggle, lacking out on an opportunity to win the championship for the primary time since 2008. Vasseur says the general workforce efficiency was a transparent signal of Ferrari’s progress in comparison with the earlier season however Canada stands out because the notably pricey weekend after failing to attain.
“For positive it’s a little bit of a combined feeling, as a result of I feel that we did step ahead in comparison with 2023, I’d say on each single pillar.” Vasseur stated. “Reliability was higher, the technique was good, pit stops went properly, the efficiency was there. We scored 60 p.c extra factors than one 12 months in the past; we’ve 5 wins in opposition to one. I feel [by all metrics], it’s inexperienced.
“The one [negative] is that we completed the season 14 factors behind McLaren. Once more it’s not in Abu Dhabi that we misplaced one thing. On common through the season, I feel McLaren scored 26, 27 factors per weekend, and we scored greater than this in Abu Dhabi. It’s most likely extra in Canada with double zero, or {the summertime} once we struggled just a little bit — Spain, UK, Austria.
“We struggled right here, and on this interval of 4 races, we misplaced one thing like 80 or 90 factors on McLaren. In addition they have their downsides to the season. It’s like this when you will have 4 groups combating, that you’re at all times up and down. You’ve a sort of frustration the Sunday night in Abu Dhabi when you’re 14 factors behind McLaren. Over 600 [points each], it’s not that a lot.
“When you’ve got a take a look at this season, the primary race that got here to my thoughts once I stated, ‘OK we’re 14 factors behind,’ it’s Canada. Canada we had the double zero with a reliability concern on Charles [Leclerc’s car] and I feel a race incident for Carlos [Sainz], and I feel that McLaren didn’t have [any].
“McLaren had a race incident with [Oscar] Piastri, however … they rating factors, and when you’re in this type of struggle with 4 groups, when you rating zero-zero it’s fairly robust to return again, which implies that reliability is vital and we’ve to keep away from the crashes. We had one or two crashes, however in this type of championship that’s an excessive amount of.”
Regardless of the race in Montreal standing out to Vasseur, he was additionally impressed by Ferrari’s response because it fought again from a run of disappointing races to get so near profitable the title. Not solely did it present a powerful understanding of the automotive’s issues, he says it’s reflective of a shift in tradition inside Maranello.
“I feel the strategy this 12 months, as a workforce, was superb, even once we had the robust June, July,” he stated. “The response from the workforce, as a workforce, was superb. We by no means blame somebody or [any] division; we work collectively to return again, we work collectively to search out options between the completely different teams, and it went properly.
“You possibly can at all times say that it might have been higher to not have the difficulty, however I feel the response was good, and it’s what we’re additionally anticipating for the long run if we wish to struggle for the championship. And sure, it’s a part of what we wish to have.
“When you’re making an attempt to repair a aim for the workforce it’s to work as a workforce, to behave as a workforce, to not blame somebody when we’ve points. It’s simple to say, however it’s not simple to do when you will have the strain of the end result and the strain of the races. I used to be not there earlier than — I can’t decide on the previous — however I used to be very pleased with the response of the workforce this 12 months.”
